Education Commons^™

Adult Learning In A K-12 Setting; Job-Embedded Professional Development: Teacher Identity And Self-Efficacy, Deidra Maclellan Gammill

Dissertations

This two-phase sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between professional development, whether in the form of traditional professional development, a professional learning community and/or lesson study, and teacher self-efficacy and self-directed learning in order to gain a greater understanding of the role professional development plays in teacher identity and efficacy as they relate to adult learning theory.

The qualitative case study method was used to interview 22 teachers, half of whom participated in a professional learning community known as lesson study. The interview data indicated that collaboration was simply one of the variables that influenced teacher efficacy and identity. …

The Effect Of Scaffolded Strategies On Content Learning In A Designed Science Cyberlearning Environment, Cynthia Lee Kern

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Scientific inscriptions--graphs, diagrams, and data--and argumentation are integral to generating and communicating scientific understanding. Scientific inscriptions and argumentation are also important to learning science. However, previous research has indicated that learners struggle to understand and learn science content represented in inscriptions. Furthermore, when learners engage in argumentation, learning science content becomes secondary to the learning of argumentation skills. This design-based research study is nested within the larger effort to inform the design and development of the 5-Featured Dynamic Inquiry Enterprise design framework (5-DIE) for cyberlearning environments and to advance theory associated with the difficulties learners have with scientific inscriptions and …

Defining Characteristics Of An Integrated Stem Curriculum In K-12 Education, Vinson Robert Carter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to obtain consensus concerning the defining characteristics of integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum. This study utilized a three round modified Delphi study to solicit recommendations from experts of STEM education in order to: 1) create a set of categorical and defining curricular components needed to develop and implement appropriate integrated STEM curriculum; 2) identify the characteristics that set integrated STEM education curriculum apart from single-discipline curricula; 3) discuss the components necessary to gauge whether an initiative, project, or curriculum should be referred to as integrated STEM education; and 4) examine whether …

Computer-Technology Helper, Pauline H. Lake

Senior Theses and Projects

The Computer-Technology Helper is a digital repository that allows educators to view, edit, create, upload, and comment on teaching materials related to Computer Science and Technology. More importantly, it provides a social space in which educators can collaborate and share teaching ideas. The application also includes membership management that allows for differentiation in user roles and user access. Since there is a lack of Computer Science and Technology in K-12 schools, having a website like the Computer-Technology Helper is a great way to provide educators with access to Computer Science and Technology teaching resources and provide a support system for …

Karen Students’ Social And Academic Experiences In Minnesota K-12 Schools, Margaret A. Crenshaw

Departmental Honors Projects

No abstract.

Environmental Education Through The Lens Of Diverse Elementary School Students In The United States: A Phenomenographic Study, Brissa Yazmin Quiroz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Global environmental change is occurring, putting our planet under pressure. Children need to understand not only why the environment is important, but also their role as citizens of a globalized society and their necessary contribution to solving global problems. Students carry their own perspectives about the environment and education, and these differing perspectives should be a significant topic for environmental education research. Recent research studies have included the conceptualization of nature and the environment through children's eyes; yet, no studies have examined the concept of environmental education through the eyes of diverse children. Minority voices and experiences are not frequently …